Scores of
tanks and armoured personnel carriers arrived at the port in Sihanoukville
yesterday, marking one of the biggest shipments of military vehicles in recent
history.

A source in
Preah Sihanouk province who asked not to be named told the Post that the ship
in question arrived yesterday morning, with “some 100 tanks and about 40 eight-
and six-wheel amoured personnel carriers,” he said.

Last night,
Sihanoukville Autonomous Port director Lou Kim Chhun confirmed the shipment,
but declined to comment on numbers or countries of origin, saying: “For the
details I think you can ask customs officials.”

In September
2010, in the middle of a border dispute with Thailand, Cambodia purchased 94
tanks from an Eastern European country widely thought to be Ukraine. The same
year, China donated some 250 vehicles to the Cambodian military.

MANILA,
Philippines - The second warship to be acquired by the Navy from the United
States (US) is expected to arrive by February, Defense Secretary Voltraire
Gazmin said Monday.

Gazmin said
US Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Locklear III gave him the assurance of the
second warship's delivery during their meeting in Hawaii early this month.

“Our new
ship will be coming sometime next year, about February. I met with Admiral
Locklear in Hawaii before I joined the trip of the president to Australia and
New Zealand. He assured us that the ship will arrive by February 2013,” he
said.

The
scheduled arrival of BRP Ramon Alcaraz in February is a month later than the
initial expectations.

During his
state of the nation address last July, President Aquino said BRP Alcaraz was
expected to reach Philippine shores by the end of January.

Gazmin said
the BRP Alcaraz is “a better conditioned water craft” than the BRP Gregorio del
Pilar, the first ship provided by the US last year.

“We have
sailors undergoing training [on how to maneuver the ship] and they will be the
ones who will bring the ship here from Charleston (South Carolina),” the
defense chief said.

Last year,
the government acquired its first Hamilton-class vessel from the US Coast Guard
to enhance the military’s external defense capabilities.

The ship,
which has been renamed BRP Gregorio del Pilar, has been deployed to the West
Philippine Sea to secure energy projects in the area. It is now the Navy’s
largest vessel.

The US,
however, stripped the ship of some of its accessories before it was turned over
to the Philippines.

Officials
earlier said that the BRP Alcaraz, the second warship to be acquired from the
US, would cost more than BRP del Pilar since the government had to buy weapons
and accessories that were removed from the vessel.

The ship was
named after Commodore Ramon Alcaraz, a Philippine Navy officer, who
distinguished himself during the Second World War when the patrol boat he
commanded shot down three Japanese aircraft.

BRP Alcaraz
was largely used by the US Coast Guard for drug and migrant interdiction, law
enforcement, search and rescue, living marine resources protection, and defense
readiness. The ship can accommodate up to 180 officers and sailors.

Meanwhile,
the military hailed the awarding of a contract for the purchase of modern
weapons system for BRP Alcaraz.

Armed Forces
spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the weapon system would boost their
maritime security capabilities and enable them to guard the country’s
territory.

“This
acquisition will greatly and significantly contribute to the fulfillment of our
mandate which is to protect the people and uphold the sovereignty and integrity
of the national territory,” Burgos said.

“The system
acquisition will definitely help us in the enforcement of maritime laws and
support us in our fight against transnational crimes like drug trafficking,
human trafficking human trafficking piracy illegal fishing and poaching,” he
added.

On Sunday,
the Philippine embassy in US announced that the Pentagon has awarded a $1.8
million contract for the purchase of modern weapons systems for BRP Alcaraz.

The purchase
and installation of two Mk38 Mod 2 autocanon systems for the Alcaraz is part of
a $24-million contract the Pentagon recently awarded to the Kentucky-based BAE
Systems Land and Armaments Inc.

The
contract, which is covered under the Foreign Military Sales Program, involves
the purchase of 21 units of the remotely controlled naval gun systems and spare
parts.

The new
weapon systems are upgraded versions of the Mk38 M242 Bushmasters that were
removed from BRP Alcaraz prior to its turnover to the Philippines. The remotely
controlled chain gun system can fire as many as 180 25m rounds per minute at
targets as far as two kilometers.

The testing included launching the MU-90 practice delivery torpedo from the surface vessel torpedo tubes into a custom designed
test rig (photo : Aus DoD)

Minister for
Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that firing tests of torpedo
launchers for the new Hobart Class Air Warfare Destroyers (AWD) have been held
in Adelaide.

The tests
were part of acceptance testing of the weapon systems for the second destroyer
Brisbane and involved firing an MU-90 practice delivery torpedo from an MK32
Mod 9 Surface Vessel torpedo tube.

The system
is made up of three main components – a launcher, an air charging panel and a
torpedo loading tray.

“All three
destroyers will have MK32 Mod 9 torpedo launchers installed in the port and
starboard magazine compartments of the ship,” Mr Clare said.

“The launch
system will be capable of deploying lightweight torpedoes against enemy
submarines.”

The AWD
Alliance has already taken delivery of the first shipset of torpedo launchers
for the first destroyer Hobart from subcontractor Babcock after Factory
Acceptance Testing was successfully completed in June.

The testing
took place at the Techport Australia facility and included launching the MU-90 practice
delivery torpedo from the surface vessel torpedo tubes into a custom designed
test rig.

The AWD
Alliance is responsible for delivering three of the most complex surface
combatants ever built in Australia and is made up of Defence Materiel
Organisation, ASC and Raytheon Australia.

The Hobart
Class destroyers will provide a significant increase in Australia’s defence
capabilities. The destroyers will be the most capable surface combatants ever
operated by the Navy.

THE government will spend P4.8 billion for the acquisition
of five patrol vessels from France
next year, the Philippine Coast Guard announced on Monday.

Rear Admiral Luis Tuason, Coast Guard officer-in-charge and
commandant for operations, did not specify the manufacturer and class of
vessels they plan to acquire, but stressed that the vessels will be brand new
and French made.

“The President has ordered the procurement of additional
ships for the Coast Guard,” said Tuason. “We have a forthcoming one unit
82-meter and four 24-meter long brand new patrol vessels from France.”

Tuason said the funding for the vessels will come from the
Office of the President.

“We have allocation from the Office of the President that
was approved already,” Tuason said. “I’m not sure about the budget but I think
they will come from projects that did not push through and unused funds that
were allotted for Coast Guard vessels.”

He said the four 24-meter vessels are expected to arrive by
December next year while the 82-meter vessel will in 2014. “We’re still
finalizing the papers,” Tuason added.

He said the vessels will be used to patrol the West Philippine Sea.

“When we patrol the West Philippine Sea,
we encounter huge waves, turbulent waters so it will be better if we will use
bigger ships,” said Tuason.

The Coast Guard is also set to build a support base at the West Philippine Sea to immediately respond to sea
emergencies in the area. The base will be built in Ulugay, Palawan.

At the moment, the Coast Guard has district in Palawan, but it is at the eastern coast of the province.
It is also supported by five stations and 17 detachments.

Apart from being the largest province in the country, Palawan also hosts the Malampaya natural gas project.

“It will be quicker for quick response and law enforcement
activities in the West coast of Palawan,
especially if there is a problem in the Malampaya or other government projects.
We will have a faster response time. We will also be able to provide shelter in
the area for ships during bad weather,” said Tuason.

“We can easily do that if we are near the western side (of Palawan),” he said, adding that the government is
expected to give P1.5 billion from Malampaya fund for the upgrade within the
year or next year.

Part of the money will also be used to repair two of their
56-meter vessels and one 35-meter vessel.

29 Oktober 2012

VietNamNet
Bridge – Factory Z189, under the General Department of Defence Industry, held a
ceremony to launch and hand over the vessel “DN 2000 (OPV-9014)”, with its
number sign “CSB 8001”, with the participation of Senior Lieutenant-General
Nguyen Thanh Cung, Deputy Defence Ministry; Colonel Nguyen Quang Dam, General
Director of the Vietnam Marine Police Force and representatives from the Dutch
Damen Shipyards Group and relevant agencies.

Delivering a
speech, Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Thanh Cung said that the event marks
the ability of military factories to build large-tonnage ships and also asked
the Vietnam Marine Police to continuously strengthen its staff and promote
troops’ professionalism to master the new ship and keep pace with marine police
forces in the region.

In order to
effectively conduct tasks of maintaining security, order and safety in the
national waters and exclusive economic zone; search and rescue; fighting
against smugglers and supporting fishermen, the Defence Ministry assigned
Factory Z189 to build a versatile patrol ship (DN 2000 design) for the Vietnam
Marine Police.

On December
17th, 2010, the factory laid down a keel to build the ship and after 20 months’
construction, the unit finished the work under the supervision of foreign
experts, meeting all international standards.

The “DN
2000”, 90m in length, 14m in width and 7m in height, is the force’s biggest
ship so far and can sail at 21 nautical miles per hour. Besides, it also has a
landing platform for a Ka-28 naval helicopter (Russia).

According to
the ship’s Captain Nguyen Duc Tuyen, he and his crew are ready to receive the
ship. After the launch ceremony, the DN 2000 crew will participate in a
training course put on by Dutch experts.

The ship is
scheduled to run sea-trials until December 2012 and will be put into full
operation by the first quarter of next year.

PAF's Huey helicopters (photo : TriztaN19)MANILA, Philippines - The Department of National Defense (DND) is planning to spend P1.26 billion to purchase 21 combat helicopters to give a much-needed boost to the Philippine Air Force.In a notice posted on the DND website on Monday, October 29, the department said it intends to acquire the refurbished Bell UH-1 ("Huey") helicopters along with the corresponding logistics support package through "open competitive bidding procedures" as specified by Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.The UH-1 is a multipurpose military helicopter famous for its use by the United States in the Vietnam War, and is commonly known as "Huey."The purchase is under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program, which seeks to develop the military into a multi-mission oriented force capable of effectively addressing internal and external security threats.A pre-bidding conference will be held on November 2 in Camp Aguinaldo and bidding documents may be purchased for P75,000.(Rappler)

27 Oktober 2012

US offers to Thailand : two second-hand Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates, five new F-16 fighter, three new Blackhawk helicopters and a large number of second-hand Humvee military vehicle (all photos : fas, xairforces, keyaero, army recognition)

Thailand
will receive heavily discounted military equipment from the US Department of
Defense, including retired warships and F-16 fighter jet engines, to help
cement military ties.

Thailand
is a major non-Nato ally of the US
and the department wants to recognise that friendship by selling weaponry
selected from its Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programme, a Thai military
source said.

The EDA programme was set up to sell off excess military
items to other countries, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation
Agency website.

In addition to five new F-16 fighter jet engines which have
been offered for sale to the Royal Thai Air Force, the US has also offered to
sell 1,150 Humvee military vehicles to the army that were previously deployed
in Iraq.

The US
has also offered three new Black Hawk helicopters to the army with a price tag
of 1.3 billion baht each, the source said.

The navy will be offered two second-hand Perry Class
frigates - general purpose warships designed back in the mid-1970s with a displacement
of 4,100 tonnes."All of these items will be sold at very special, cheap
prices," the source said.

"The discussion did not go into details. The offer is
amicable."

The offer follows talks in Washington last week between permanent
secretary for defence Gen Thanongsak Apirakyothin and US defence assistant
secretary Marc Lippert.

Thailand
and the US
will mark 180 years of bilateral relations next year.

Defence minister Sukumpol Suwanatat and armed forces chiefs
are due to meet US defence
secretary Leon Panetta next month during his Thailand visit.

Currently, submarines have no alternative but to flee when
detected by helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft. But thanks to a new air
defense system developed by DCNS in cooperation with MBDA, the game is about to
change.

Indeed, to meet the needs of navies to protect their
submarines from air threats, The DCNS-designed A3SM comes in two versions, both
fully integrated with Subtics® combat systems:

Mast Version

A3SM Mast Version with Mistral SAM (image : DCNS)

Comprises a missile housing (that remains watertight
throughout the submarine’s operating range and down to maximum diving depth)
mounted on a hoistable mast and containing several short-range Mistral missiles
that can be fired from periscope depth.

Underwater Vehicle Version

A3SM Underwater vehicle version with Mica SAM (image : DCNS)

Comprises a torpedo-like capsule containing a medium-range
(20 km) Mica missile that is tube-launchable at any depth. The capsule is
similar to the type developed for submarine-launched Exocet anti-ship missiles.

These weapons are integrated with Subtics® combat systems,
ensuring the overall performance of the submarine, from target designation and
launch of the missile to the destruction of the target.

The Molniya
and Tarantul belong Project 1241 (NATO List collectively Tarantul) under
high-speed missile boats, are designed for combat duty in the shallow coastal
waters, high speed, firepower are the advantages of this type of rocket ships.

Project 1241
was initiated at the end of the Soviet Union in 1970, to replace the high-speed
missile boats obsolete Osa.

In 1978, the
first project was completed and transferred to the Soviet Navy evaluation.

This variant
is equipped with 4 anti-ship missile P-15 Termit range of 40km, 1 gunboat
AK-176 76.2 mm at the front and two fast firing AK-630 cannon in the back.

The
identified variants of Project 1241 is quite complex. Russia, every time with
small improvements to be set for a different identifier while the external
appearance does not change much. This is the reason why many people difficult
to distinguish Molniya and Tarantul.

Other
variants were developed of Project 1241 include 1241.1M/MR (NATO identification
is Tarantul III) equipped with search radar target Monolith, this radar targets
120km search range in active mode, up to 500 km with a passive mode.

Vietnam
People's Navy ordered ships since 1999, four vessels were delivered in the
early 2000s. Currently, Vietnam will close the vessel with the help of
technology transfer from Russia. At least 6 units cruise missiles Tarantul are
served in the Vietnam People's Navy personnel.

Russian
Molniya is the name for this variation, it is also called the Lightning. This
variant is also known as Project 1241.1 Molniya, 1241.1/1241.8 actually the
same project, the reason which had a different name due to be exported to
various countries.

Project
1241.1 is a variant for the Russian Navy only has one aircraft were put into
use.

Project
1241.8 is reserved for export variants. In particular, variations export for
gunboat India AK-176 is replaced by the gunboats OTO 76mm SRGM French, search
radar targets are placed in the dome above the top of the mast. Vietnamese also
Project 1241.8 exports to the use of fully electronic and weapons systems from
Russia.

Molniya guided missile corvettes with 4x4 SSM Uran E range 130km (all photos : giaoduc, ttvnol)Between
Molniya and Tarantul there are many differences easy to see with the naked eye,
the superstructure the Molniya is divided into 3 levels, 3 different types of
radar installation.

First, the
upper chamber commander installed fire-control radar for anti-ship missile
Garpun-Bal-E (in Project 1241 RE Tarantul, radar is located on the top of the
mast), followed by the fire control radar MR-123 Vympel for gunboat AK-176 and
rapid firing AK-630 guns, on top of the mast to install the target search radar
MR 352 positiv-E (note ship missiles Project 1241 RE Tarantul not have this
type of radar ).

Weapons of
Molniya more powerful than Tarantul, Molniya fitted to 16 subsonic anti-ship
missile Kh-35 Uran-E (NATO name SS-N-25 Switchblade range of 130 km, is
arranged into four launched two sides clusters with 4 missiles each cluster.

Power source system of the two ships are the same are used engine CODOG (combined diesel
gas turbines). The amount of water stretching of Molniya little more than a
little than Tarantul due carry more missiles (550 tonnes compared with 490
tonnes).

Overall, the
combat capability of the Molniya higher than with Tarantul. Vietnam People's
Navy is 2 Molniya missile boat on the payroll, in addition to the 10 aircraft
being built under contract for the transfer of technology from Russia in
Vietnam.

For Vietnam
called Tarantul only for RE Project 1241, also with the Russian Project 1241.8
own set identifier is Molniya, the use of the name for each variant is very
important to help readers recognize the This difference between the two types
of warships.

Navantia has celebrated last October the cut of steel of the
first LCM-1E high speed landing craft, of a series of 12 that Navantia will
build for the Royal Australian Navy, to be operating on board the ALHD Canberra
and ALHD Adelaide

These units are identical to the LCM-1E high speed landing
crafts built by Navantia and in service with the Spanish Navy since 2007 and
2008.

Each LCM-1Eweights
110 tonnes. The first four will arrive in 2014, when the first of the new ALHDs
becomes operational.

25 Oktober 2012

Fighting wars would be a hell of a lot easier if everybody
still just lined up on the field of battle where we can see them. But with the
advent of guerilla tactics and asymmetric warfare, you now need to keep your
head on a swivel in a vicious cockfight—or just let Lockheed Martin's new
mobile radar system watch your back.

Officially known as the AN/TPQ-53 Quick Reaction Capability
Radar, this truck-mounted mobile radar system is designed to spot and track
incoming mortar, artillery, and rocket fire, then backtrace the enemy's firing
position and the round's estimated impact location based on its trajectory
thanks to a suite of purpose-built ballistics algorithms. This allows our
forces to respond to incoming threats faster while severely limiting the number
of rounds an attacker can get off before being engaged.

The Q-53 is actually composed of two FMTV trucks; the
Mission Essential Group totes the radar itself and the primary 60Kw generator
while the Sustainment Group transports the radar's four operators and a backup
power supply. An encrypted radio channel allows the operators to remain a safe
1km distance from the radar itself, either in the climate-controlled comfort of
the SG truck or in the field using ruggedized Linux-based laptops. This may
seem like a lot of resources for a simple radar setup, but the Q-53 system is
actually quite svelte compared to its predecessor, the Q-36, which needed three
trucks and a crew of six.

"We improved the software and improved the overall
hardware of the system, incorporating lessons learned from the earlier
systems," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Daniel McDonald, Training and
Doctrine Command capability developer and requirements staff officer. "We
developed more robust gears, a rotating platform, an automated leveling system
and an improved air cooled system."

With a selectable 90 or 360-degree field of view and
lightning-fast five-minute setup/two-minute teardown time, the Q-53 is already
being utilized for the defense of counter insurgency operations. It can also be
incorporated into a forward operating base's existing Counter Rocket Artillery
and Mortar (C-RAM) systems, which use the Q-53's ballistics information to
shoot down incoming threats before they hit. The military is also considering
upgrading the Q-53's tracking capabilities, which would allow it to identify
and track larger targets like UAVs.

"These radars systems give a lot of capability to
commanders in the field, especially since we are not fighting a linear fight
anymore," McDonald explained. "This system is easier to emplace,
especially in a high-optempo environment. Now it is all automated, so it
reduces wear and tear on the crew and system. Also, the Q-53 enhances force
protection. It uses an encrypted wireless network able to reach up to 1,000 meters
away, so I can put myself in a tactical operations center, or TOC, or nearby
shelter."

And any of those places should offer a terrific view of
hyper-accurate return fire.